Iran says close to Hormuz plan with Oman, but reopening depends on US

Iran and Oman have agreed on a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz and are finalizing arrangements to jointly manage the strategic waterway, Tehran said Wednesday, even as new security incidents underscored continued risks to regional shipping.

The agreement would mark a step toward reopening the key energy route, but Iranian officials said any easing would still depend on Washington ending its naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran has exercised de facto control over the waterway and threatened vessels using routes it deems unauthorized since the United States and Israel launched their war against the country on Feb. 28.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Tehran is seeking a deal to reopen the strait, but Iran has denied this, saying it will instead reach arrangements with neighboring Oman.

"The geographical coordinates of the route envisaged by the two sides have been agreed upon and, if certain third parties do not obstruct the process, the joint statement of the two countries, containing the main considerations and points of agreement, is also in the final review and drafting stage," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to the state news agency IRNA.

According to the report, Baqaei told journalists that talks with Oman were progressing, but that even if an agreement is reached, it would not mean the strait is safe for all vessels.

"The factors making the Strait of Hormuz insecure still exist on the part of the United States, particularly the naval blockade and other aggressive and threatening actions against Iran and its interests," he said.

Highlighting the risks, the captain of an oil tanker reported hearing two explosions while transiting the strait, about 9 nautical miles (17 kilometers) southeast of Kumzar, Oman, Britain's maritime security agency UKMTO said Wednesday. The crew and vessel were safe.

Yemen's Houthis separately said they had struck two Saudi oil tankers, the eighth and ninth vessels hit since they launched a blockade of the kingdom last month.

Military spokesperson Yahya Saree said missiles struck the tanker Wafa off Yanbu in the northern Red Sea and the tanker Daisy in the Gulf of Aden.

Saudi authorities did not immediately comment.

'Fractured system'

Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz carried about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports. Prices have repeatedly surged since the dispute over the waterway began, increasing economic and political pressure on Washington.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance acknowledged frustration with the pace of diplomacy with Iran, saying negotiations would take time because of divisions within the country's leadership.

"It's going to be messy and it's going to take some time to get there," Vance told Fox News in an interview broadcast Wednesday.

"The reality ... is that number one, the Iranians are extraordinarily difficult people. Number two, they have a fractured system," he said.

After imposing an effective blockade on the strait, Iran has insisted ships use a route hugging its coastline.

Many vessels have instead chosen a southern route close to Oman on the opposite side of the strait, where they have occasionally come under fire.

Iran wants to control the strait and charge tolls, powers it did not exercise before the war and a move the United States would strongly oppose.

In what has become a regular pattern, Trump last week threatened to hit Iran "very hard," potentially with attacks on civilian infrastructure, before later suggesting a deal was near.

Iran's Foreign Ministry, however, denied negotiations with Washington were taking place.